What’s the world record for eating Big Mac?
25 in one sitting.
Most donuts in under 10 minutes?
A whopping 5 dozen.
How many pounds of blueberry pie is the world record?
It’s 9.8 pounds in one sitting or about five and a half pies. And you can’t use your hands.
What better way to start off my research, to figure out how these people who do this for a living do it? Not that I’m suggesting you train for a speed or quantity eating contest over the holidays. These people who train for overindulgence are actually in good shape. They tend to be slim and super fit.
I bring this up because I want you to understand that the people eating all this food train hard before they go into the competition. Overindulgence is their goal. The lengths that these competitive eaters go to is not what you want to do just to make it through another family gathering. They stretch their stomachs for weeks before a competition. You’re likely going in cold!
Here’s your non-competitive strategy.
Never go to a party hungry. Or you’ll look like these guys who are in competition. With all the meatballs, baked brie, sausage rolls, tourtiere, chips, dip and so on, you’ve got to have some serious willpower not to dive right in. If you’re hungry, it’s game over.
Your gut enzymes need to kick into high gear to digest the quantity of food you’ve eaten, and also the fat, which for some is more difficult. Take digestive enzymes before and after you eat to ease digestion. My favourite is HypoZymase from Physica (email for info).
Choose well by leaving all those pastries, bread and dough behind. Most of my clients figure out that they feel better with less flour-filled foods like pastry, bread, cakes, and cookies. One of my clients figured out that avoiding bread or bagels cured her heartburn.
If you know you’re in for unhealthy fare, take along something that you can eat. Bring healthy dip and veggies and put it away from the main table so you don’t go near it.
Avoid the bubbles. Pop and fizzy drinks can make you feel bloated. And then there’s the sugar.
If you’ve overeaten, stand and walk around. Don’t sit as your abdomen becomes compressed and you’ll end up more uncomfortable.
Avoid the food hangover with these tips, and you’ll thank yourself for it tomorrow!
For more, listen to my chat with Tony Chapman on NewsTalk 1010 from December 15th, 2017.
